The present invention relates to an enclosure which has utility as a portable ice skating rink, a wading pool, a garden enclosure, and a volleyball area.
Many people have constructed ice skating rinks by flooding flat areas of their yards and gardens so that ice can form to provide a skating area during winter weather. The loss of water during thaws, as well as the difficulty and discomfort encountered in the flooding procedure, have led others to develop skating rinks which can be assembled in one""s backyard. These portable skating rinks have been the subject of a number of U.S. patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,012,596 to Skolout, for example, illustrates one such portable ice skating rink. The Skolout ice rink has a length of flexible wall or a tube member made of extruded plastic material. The tube member is formed to have an elongated rectangular cross section so that flat faces are available for engagement with surfaces such as asphalt pavement or concrete. A connecting device is provided for holding the abutting ends of the wall in engagement. For installations, where it is desirable to provide a waterproof container within the wall, a sheet of plastic material is provided to fit the area and to extend beyond the wall. A plurality of clips are provided to be spaced along the wall. The clips have outwardly extending feet which, when the clip is in position, lie substantially in the plane of the bottom of the wall and serve to retain the plastic in its desired position and to hold the wall upright. The clips are used for the latter purpose whether or not the waterproof sheet is employed. Walls of increased height may be constructed by placing two of the wall sections one on top of the other and bonding them together with a suitable cement such as liquid latex.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,996,896 to Johnson illustrates a portable skating rink having wood members forming a frame and sheeting arranged to extend through the area defined by the frame with its major portions arranged to rest on a supporting surface and with its edge portions upturned and secured to the frame for the formation of an ice-containing enclosure. The sheeting is preferably made of a polyethylene plastic.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,301 to Deloughery relates to a portable ice skating rink comprising a liner having end portions capable of being raised to an essentially rectangular position in relation to the liner and rink blocks having a main body containing a cavity capable of receiving the end portions of the liner through a slotted opening. The end portions of the liner are inflatable. The rink also includes locks for interconnecting the rink blocks.
Still other portable ice skating rinks are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,489 to Holleran et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,647 to Berlemont, U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,227 to Morris, U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,706 to Lavigne, U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,586 to Scherba, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,218 to Keating et al.
Despite the existence of these portable skating rinks, there remains a need for a portable skating rink which is easy to assemble and disassemble and which can be erected in an individual""s backyard. There also remains a need for a portable skating rink which is relatively inexpensive.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an enclosure which may be used as a portable ice skating rink, a wading pool, a volleyball area, and/or a garden enclosure.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an enclosure which is formed by lightweight components that can be easily assembled and disassembled.
The foregoing objects are attained by the enclosure of the present invention.
In accordance with the present invention, an enclosure which has utility as a portable ice skating rink, a wading pool, a volleyball area and/or a gardening enclosure is provided. The enclosure broadly comprises a pair of opposed sidewalls and a pair of opposed end walls. Each of the sidewalls is defined by at least one elongated sidewall member. Each of the end walls is defined by at least one elongated end wall member. The enclosure further has a plurality of corner members defining an enclosed area with the end walls and the sidewalls. Each of the corner members is positioned between one of the sidewalls and one of the end walls. At least one sheet member is placed over the sidewalls, the end walls, and the corner members, preferably to allow a body of water and/or ice to be located within the enclosure. The enclosure further has means for holding the at least one sheet member in place and for protecting the at least one sheet member along the sidewalls and the end walls from being cut by a sharp instrument such as a blade of an ice skate.
Other details of the enclosure of the present invention, as well as other objects and advantages attendant thereto, are set forth in the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals depict like elements.